Things I Want for Christmas

Of course failing that, I wouldn't mind an Xbox 360. Or maybe some social skills.

...And the other Shoe Drops

As of yesterday, Gaahl and King had the following to say regarding Regain Records and Infernus:

Norwegian authorities at Patentstyret (Norwegian patent office) have made the verdict on the dispute over the further use of the trademark and logo "Gorgoroth". It has been legally determined that King and Gaahl retain the rightful ownership and use of the name and logo, now and in the future.

King and Gaahl will not give a detailed public statement on this verdict however they have both remained confident this result would indeed be the final conclusion.

Any third parties who use the name Gorgoroth will from now on be met with legal prosecution.

Gorgoroth, King and Gaahl, will not continue to work with Regain Records given their disloyal acts concerning Gorgoroth and are currently carefully choosing a new label for the release of their next full-length album.

So now the two Gorgoroths have threatened legal action against one another. Actual lawsuits can't be far behind. If I may be forgiven for editorializing, this may be the greatest court case since the Scopes Monkey Trial.

A Tale of Two Gorgoroths

The plot thickens, and the story of Gorgoroth's dissolution is, apparently, not over yet. Since Infernus parted ways with former bandmates King and Gaahl back in October, Regain Records has chosen to side with Infernus, who will reform Gorgoroth with a new line-up. Regain Records issued a statement outlining their intentions on 13 December. The statement reads as follows:

Regain Records has finally decided how to go further with the Gorgoroth matter. Regain Records will continue the co-operation with the bands original member Infernus with a new line-up. This new line-up will be announced by Infernus through the new official website. Regain Records recognizes Infernus as the rightful owner of the bands name, logo and trademark, and is prepared to take any legal steps necessary to prevent any 3rd part from exploiting it, artistically and commercially. A long time commitment between Infernus and Regain Records has been signed and Gorgoroths next album entitled Quantos Possund Ad Satanitatem Trahunt - as well as the follow-up - will be released on Regain Records.

The other Gorgoroth has yet to say anything on this matter. I have to say that Regain Records is probably taking the right course of action here, since Infernus has been at the heart of Gorgoroth since the beginning. Whatever happends, I hope Gaahl and King will continue their collaboration, even if it is under a different name.

As and aside, this actually reminds a lot of the break-up of Pink Floyd back in the mid-80s. You may recall that a fierce legal battle took place between Roger Waters and the rest of the band over the rights to use the name Pink Floyd. You may also recall that David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright eventually won out. Coincidentally, Roger is also the real name of Infernus. How's that for history repeating itself?

Relevant to my Interests, Ep. 5 (2-for-1 Special!)

Egads, have I really gone an entire month without posting about Joan Crawford? For Shame! As penance for this egregious blasphemy, here are two pictures. First an early picture, but one of my absolute favorites.

And here's a second which, judging by the caption, dates from around 1929-30.

Relevant to my Interests, Ep. 4

An adorable Bessie Love, sporting a modified version of the iconic Louise Brooks cut. As an aside, I suddenly feel like a pedophile.

Nihil Sub Sole Novum

It appears that Hollywood has no ideas left. Compare this promotional picture from the forthcoming Batman flick...


With this shot of Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs from 1928...

I think my opinion on this matter is well stated in Ecclesiastes 1:9.

The House of my Dreams

Til Den Groenne Ridder by Theodor Kittelsen. This same drawing, by the way, was used as the cover art for Carpathian Forest's debut EP, entitled Through Chasm, Caves And Titan Woods.

Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art

This past weekend I (along with a few others from my class on the history of Byzantine Art) had the opportunity to visit the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. We had come, thanks to the generosity of the Dean of Students and the Art department of the University of Puget Sound, to view their special exhibition, entitled Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art. It was well worth the trip.

Though the selection of items on display was not huge, their quality was quite exquisite (thanks in part to the restoration work which had been done to some of the pieces). The variety of mediums represented in the collection was equally impressive as samples of silver, glassware, sarcophagi and carved ivory were all available for viewing. The remarkable craftsmanship that must have gone into producing such artifacts was plain to see, particularly in the ivories and precious stones, which pieces exhibited an incredible degree of detail.

Among the finest items present were the exquisite Maskell Ivories, a selection from the Sinope Gospels, surviving fragments of the nearly-destroyed Cotton Genesis and the manuscript of the fifth century Rabbula Gospels (pictured above), one of the finest--and most important--extant illuminated manuscripts. High-resolution scans of these works are available online, and while these are of good quality, they really don't do justice to the originals, and are really no substitute.

In addition to the special exhibition, the Kimbell Museum's permanent collection is also worth a visit. Being a would-be classicist, I found two items particularly interesting. The first was a red-figure bowl which showed in fairly grisly detail the dismemberment of Pentheus at the hands of the maenads, an episode which is best remembered from Euripides's Bacchae. My favorite item, however, would have to be the exquisite Hellenistic bronze head of a nameless athlete (pictured below). The head, which is supposed to be a copy of an original by the Greek master sculptor Lysippos, survives in absolutely fantastic condition, and is a testament to the skill of its sculptor.

Anyone who is (or will be) in the Fort Worth area should leap at the chance to visit the Kimbell Art Museum.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 3

Finnish Black Metal expert Satanic Tyrant Werewolf (alias Nazgul) of Satanic Warmaster fame, among numerous other projects.